The Sommelier Update

The Sommelier Update is an educational blog on wine, beer, spirits and food. It started in conjunction with the Arrowhead Wine Enthusiast club, but has rapidly gained an international following from those interested in learning, enjoying and having fun with food and wine. Weekly articles on advice, service, pairing ideas, recipes, education and consultation, from a Certified Sommelier and wine educator.

It’s an age old question…to paraphrase Mr. Miyagi, in Karate
Kid, should you leave the “wax on, or wax off” when opening your bottle of
wine.

In the past, most bottles had a simple capsule or protective
sleeve, often called a foil. Now, more and more wineries are dipping their
bottle necks in wax.So, how do you get
the cork out?More on that in a minute.
Why is there even a capsule over the cork to begin with?

Back in the day, wine bottles were typically protected with
a lead capsule over the neck of the bottle. The purpose was to protect the cork
from being chewed on by rats and mice that often inhabited the wine cellars.
The capsule also prevented a potentially leaky cork from dripping on the
ground, and inviting insects into the cellar. Lead was used, simply because it
was easily malleable. You might note that traditional Sommelier service
includes a heavy wiping of the bottle pre and post cork removal, in a throwback
to the early days of cleaning off as much residue as possible. Research
eventually pointed out that lead was toxic, even in trace amounts. By the 1990’s
the lead capsules were replaced with tin, aluminum and shrink-wrapped plastic.
Now, some wineries don’t even use a capsule, and many have switched to sealing
the cork with wax (either with a wax disk, or hand-dipped in sealing wax). Due
to cleaner cellaring practices, the need for a capsule mainly serves as a
decorative article, and a throwback to old traditions.

Just like a screw cap versus a natural cork….in wine,
tradition is part of the romance. To me, a bottle without a capsule feels
cheap, or unfinished. I know, it is more of a perception than it is a reality.
I like the traditions of wine: cutting off the capsule, screwing in the
corkscrew and hearing the pop. Is it just me? I don’t think so.

You will find that some bottles have a paper strip running
across the cork, then that is sealed below the capsule. This is basically an
assurance of authenticity. The idea being that the capsule and paper both would
have to be unbroken, to guarantee that the wine inside had not been tampered
with.

Some of the newer capsules, particularly shrink-wrap
plastic, are more irritating than foil. I use a waiter’s helper corkscrew, which
has a serrated knife. While it works great with foil, it seems to always hang
up on plastic, and tear. And, if you use a foilcutter accessory, they often don’t
cut through the plastic. Many plastic capsules now come with a “pull tab”, but
that just feels cheap to me.

Foil cutter

In the past, I would have used a foilcutter, and removed
just the top section of the capsule. Now, I remove the entire capsule with a
vertical cut, the length of the capsule. I then peel off the capsule in one
piece. This allows you to inspect the capsule. Why? Mold and staining on the
inside of the capsule might be an indication of a problem. Staining can
indicate leaks, as can mold. But, with mold, remember that corks are
semi-porous. A moldy smell in your wine is probably not desirable. Proceed with
caution from here. Examine the cork and the wine carefully. Wipe the bottle and
cork with a clean cloth, room the cork, examine, then sip the wine, looking for
any issues.

Now, back to the original question, “how to remove wax from
a wine bottle?” Sealing wax can make a real mess.

There are really only two options: 1) chip away at the wax;
or 2) just drill right in and pull the cork out with the wax still on.

I find that chipping away at the wax is messy, and frankly,
more effort than is needed. Not only is it time consuming, but your bottle will
look like a mess in the end. Remember that wine service is traditional and
romantic. Wax flakes all over the table, and chipped bottles kind of take away
from that. The wax will not peel away from the bottle, as you might anticipate.

The best way to remove a wax capsule is not to remove it at
all. Simply angle your corkscrew into the top of the wax, so that the tip of
your worm/auger is imbedded into the wax. Next, slowly twist the auger in, as
you gradually bring your corkscrew to an upright position. Next, grip the teeth
of our corkscrew onto the outer rim of the wax capsule (you may need to grip
the teeth, to keep them in place), then pull the cork out along with the wax. Some
people prefer to only partially pull the cork out, then chip away some of the
wax, before removing the cork all the way. I just find this to create more of a
mess.

Pulltex Waiter's Helper

I should point out that this extraction method requires a
waiter’s helper type corkscrew. Many easy pull type corkscrews just can’t
handle the wax. My corkscrew is a Pulltex. I have had it for at least eight
years, and it continues to be my “go to” corkscrew. Easy to carry, easy to operate, and not terribly expensive.

There you have it, an easy way to remove any capsule. Enjoy
the romance and nostalgia that opening a wine bottle offers.

At a recent wine tasting event, the theme was forgotten
grapes. The goal was to try numerous grape varieties at one tasting event, of
grapes that most people would be unfamiliar with. The first challenge was to
find the wines. A quick internet search located a number of possibilities.
Wines from Italy, Greece, Portugal, Austria and The Republic of Georgia, made
for an interesting evening.

One of the more unusual wines was an “orange wine” from
Georgia. The wine was made from four native grapes: Rkatsiteli, Kisi, Mtsvane
and Saperavi.Additionally, the wine was
fermented in qvevris without additives and filtration.

So what is an “orange wine”?

Rose vs Orange

The easy answer is that it is to white wine, what rose is to
red wine.Rose involves very little
contact with the red grape skins, in order to extract just enough color to
leave a slightly pink hue. However, with orange wine, we have white grapes with
limited skin contact, extracting some of the skin pigment, tannins and
phenols.Normally, this would be undesirable
for a white wine, whereas for reds, skin contact is a vital part of the
process.Typically white wine production
involves crushing the grapes and quickly moving the juice off the skins into
the fermentation vessel.

Fermentation with skins

The practice of extended skin contact with white wine grapes
has long history in the Caucasus region. In Georgia alone, this winemaking style
goes back at least 8000 years, where they are often aged in clay vessels (qvevri)
or wooden barrels. Qvevri are lined with beeswax and buried in the ground, which
provides natural temperature control and slow, oxidative aging that produces
earthy, texturally distinct skin-contact wines.More recently, Italy has adopted this style, particularly in the
Friuli-Venezia Giulia wine region, with Pinot Grigio.

Orange wines get their name from the darker, slightly orange
tinge that the white wines receive due to their contact with the coloring
pigments of the grape skins. The actual color can range from bright gold to a
tawny brown (for more oxidized wines).

On the palate, these wines can easily be mistaken for red
wines. They have the body, texture and moderate tannins, found in red wines.
But, they have the fruit and aromas of a white wine. They are confusing wines.
Try doing a tasting in a black wine glass, and see how easily it is to stump
your wine drinking friends.

qvevri

Just as rose wines, orange wines offer a good compromise
when you can’t decide between white or red. For example, white wine would traditionally
accompany fish and red wine would accompany meat. Orange wines are delicate
enough to pair with fish, but are also structured enough for red meat.

Even though these are white wine grapes, there is no need to
chill. To serve correctly, serve them at cellar temperature. You may also want
to decant the wines, and allow the aromas to open up.

Back to our wine for the evening: 2012 Orgo Rkatsiteli. I
would say it was 50/50 on people liking the wine, and others finding it “odd”. The amber colored wine had notes of apricots,
dates, beeswax, dried orange peel, and cinnamon…all white wine notes. But, on
the palate, there were defined tannins, and a mouthfeel of a red wine. In a
blind tasting (literally blindfolded), I would be hard-pressed to determine
what this was, because of the mixed sensory signals.

Many people consider these types of wines as a passing fad
(tell that to the Georgians, and their 8,000 years). Some even claim that these
are actually “flawed” wines from winemakers that haven’t learned to make wine
“properly”.It is hard to call it a fad,
when it really hasn’t caught on yet. How many have you seen in your local wine
store?

I guess the jury is still out, and only by tasting them will
you be able to either share their virtues, or dismiss their novelty. Whatever
your until impression, make a point of at least seeking some orange wine out,
and give it a try. Then, share your comments on this blog.

We arrived at the Vineyard. A long table, set for 50 people
was located in the shade of the vineyard house. As we checked in, we were
promptly handed a glass of Dragonette Cellars 2014 Rose of Pinot Noir, then
greeted by all of the owners. I have known the owners since we first met in
2008, and this is the first time I have seen everyone in one place.

All this was for the introduction of Dragonette Cellars’
first ever Chardonnay. But, why this particular vineyard? What was so special?

Pinot Noir

The Duvarita Vineyard is located just outside of Lompoc, and
right outside the border of the Santa Rita Hills AVA.The first things you notice are the sandy
loam soils, the breeze coming from the west, and the sun located directly
overhead.A closer look at the vineyard,
and it is very apparent how low the trellis systems are: less than two feet off
the ground. The rows are seven feet apart and about three feet between vines.

John Dragonette talking about the vineyard

We headed up the south facing slope, 26 acres of vineyard
surrounding us. As we moved into the Pinot Noir block that Dragonette Cellars
farms, we stopped and discussed what makes this vineyard special. The sandy
loam soils allow for excellent drainage, but also retain moisture. This area
receives only 14” to 15” inches of rain annually, so an automated drip
irrigation system supplements the needed moisture for ideal growing conditions.
The vines are cane pruned low to the ground, to protect the vines from the constant
winds. The lower hanging berry clusters then benefit from the radiant heat of
the earth (the sandy soil reflects the heat nicely). Wind removes the evaporative capability of the vine, stressing the grapes and creating thicker skins. Managing the wind is key.
One of those approaches is to prune the leaves. Typically leaves are left on the
west side to protect from the late afternoon sun, but at Duvarita they thin the
leaves on the west side to open up the canopy thus letting the wind pass
through easier. The entire vineyard is biodynamically farmed.

In the distance, we could see the newest vineyard that Brook
and Cody are working on. It is higher up on the slope and the soil is currently
being prepped. Brook indicated that they will be experimenting with head
trained vines on that property. Interesting!

Lunch at the Vineyard house

Lunch was provided by Cecco Ristorante and included wood
fired pizzas from Chef David’s mobile Italian brick oven. I sat with Brook and
Cory Williams, the owners of Duvarita Vineyards. During lunch, I learned more
about this unique location.

The property dates back to being part of the original Rancho
Santa Rita land grant that was given in 1845 by Governor Pio Pico to José Ramón
Malo. Presidio Winery purchased the land in 1999 and the Presidio Vineyard was
planted in 2000. In November 2012, The Williams purchased the Presidio Vineyard.
The Presidio Winery kept their name, so they renamed the vineyard. The Duvarita
name comes from the combination of their parents names: Durrell and Virginia,
plus “rita” for the local Santa Rita Hills. While this vineyard is outside the
AVA, it is often referred to as “Super Rita”, because of the unique fruit grown
there.

Duvarita Vineyard grows Viognier, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay,
Syrah (at top of vineyard) and Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is the dominant variety
grown. As mentioned, all the grapes are grown biodynamically. Currently, they
are two years into the three year certification process. They are also members
of the two leading sustainable winegrowing organizations, California Alliance of Winegrape Growers and the Vineyard Team. They supply
grapes to some of the best wineries in the country: Chanin, Dragonette, Storm,
Tatomer, Ojai Vineyards, Jaffurs/Mistress and Denner.

Steve, Jen, Cody, Brook, Mitchie, John, Brandon, Michelle, Jim

Back to our reason for showing up…the new Dragonette Cellars
2014 Duvarita Vineyards Chardonnay.We
tasted barrel samples along with appetizers of prosciutto wrapped figs w/ gorgonzola.
The Chardonnay is developing nicely. Neutral oak aging and limited malolactic
fermentation makes for a clean, Burgundian style Chardonnay. Pre-release orders
are now being taken (hint: I placed my order, so they must be good, right?). Roasted
beet salad, grilled vegetables w/ toasted couscous along with pizzas were
paired with the 2013 Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir, and the 2013 Duvarita
Vineyard Pinot Noir. A special pouring of the 2009 Presidio Vineyard Pinot Noir
(same vineyard, different owner and name) topped the afternoon. Only 18 bottles
of this rare library wine were available…guess who has one again (I drank the
ones I originally had).

In the time I have been following Dragonette Cellars, I have
been impressed not only with their winemaking skills, but their ability to
identify the best vineyard sites and the blocks within those vineyards. They
craft wines that reflect the individual vineyard in which they are grown. This was
a chance to come see one of those vineyards up close and to understand why it
is one of the best in Santa Barbara county.

Voted the #1 wine blog!

About Me

Jim Newcomb is a certified Sommelier, having completed his level III certification/diploma with the International Sommelier Guild (ISG) as well as the ISG Teacher Education Program (TEP). He currently is a wine educator for the ISG. He is the founder and president of the Arrowhead Wine Enthusiast Club. Additionally, he passed "with distinction" the Level III, advanced study course, with London based WSET (Wine & Spirits Educational Trust) Jim is also a contributing writer for the Organic Wine Exchange, and Wine on Wheels, as well as a frequent guest on Grape Encounters radio program. He is now working with the newly formed International Sommelier Alliance (ISA) as a textbook writer, instructor, and adviser.